Jannie Staffansson (Saami)

Jannie Staffansson is living on the Arctic Circle in Jokkmokk, Sápmi. Jannie belongs to the Indigenous Peoples of Scandinavia and northwest of Russia, the Saami. She is from a reindeer herding family, and together with her partner, they are working with their reindeer. Jannie is currently focused on educating herself in Saami ways and strengthening her Indigenous knowledge in relation to reindeer herding. This knowledge is needed to survive extreme events caused by climate change. When she is not out with the reindeer, she is working as a consultant, assisting Saami organizations and communities often in relation to climate change issues, capacity building, and Indigenous Peoples’ rights. She has a background in environmental studies and organic chemistry. She worked as an advisor for a Saami organization on environmental and Indigenous rights issues, where she participated in negotiations of the Indigenous Peoples’ Platform within UNFCCC during and after the Paris Agreement. Jannie was a member of the Arctic Council Working Group on Assessment and Monitoring Programme (AMAP) and its associated expert groups on black carbon and methane, persistent organic pollutants, and climate change. She also served on the board of the Sustaining Arctic Observation Network (SAON). She heals when being far up in the mountains, off the grid, being around her herding dogs, and giving back to Mother Earth.

John J. King II, Vice Chair

John J. King II is co-founder and managing director of The Common Flat Project, an organization dedicated to promoting the importance of earth’s biodiversity. His past professional career is wide ranging, including seven years working as a commercial fisherman on crab fishing vessels in Alaska’s Bering Sea and as a successful entrepreneur in the bio-pharmaceutical industry. In his early career, John partnered with scientists from the University of Washington to co-found IMRE Corporation, an immunotherapy company that pioneered treatments for autoimmune diseases. For the next 25 years, he held senior executive positions and helped develop several early-stage medical technology companies. He joined with oncology pioneers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in 1997 to launch Rosetta Inpharmatics. Rosetta was acquired by Merck & Co in 2001 where John then took a position as senior vice president, Research Planning and Integration with global responsibilities for Merck’s research division. John retired from Merck & Co in 2007 to pursue a life-long passion for travel and photography with a purpose. Now as an accomplished wildlife photographer and lecturer, John, together with his wife Pam, strive to inspire others to discover and protect the earth’s environment through their work. Their first book Wild Cape Cod, Free by Nature was published by Schiffer Publishing in 2012. John currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, MA as well as the Board of Directors of the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy in Chatham, MA. He was previously an adviser to the Roy and Diana Vagelos Life Sciences and Management Joint Degree program at the University of Pennsylvania where he also received his BA degree in Anthropology in 1974. He lives in Chatham, Massachusetts.